Disturbed Dreams
by Strawberry Shortcake123
Summary: Troy and Gabriella have graduated and are finally going to begin their lives together. But when a fatal accident leaves Troy's three young sisters without anybody to care for them, that future may not be what they all hoped for.
1. Chapter 1

**I am now working on two High School Musical stories. So updates on this and Lost Your Mind could come a little slow, but I like this idea. So here we go.**

"Gabi!" Troy ran off the stage, toward his girlfriend. Gabriella, clad in her graduation robes, rushed into his arms and grinned into his shoulder as he spun her around.

"Yay." She laughed as he set her down. "I am so excited! I can't believe we got into the same college!"

"I know! And who knew I'd get into Harvard? I mean, a dummy like me?"

"Oh, shut up, Troy!" Gabriella playfully hit her boyfriend on the chest. Then she reached out and gave him another hug. "I'm so proud of you. Really."

"You too." Troy gave Gabriella a quick kiss, then began to walk with her. "I really wish my parents could have been here, though." He frowned. "Where do you think they are, anyway? I mean… they were supposed to come."

"I don't know. They're fine, though. Don't worry."

"Yeah. You're right."

Hand in hand, the happy couple walked over to their friends and Gabriella's mom. Everybody hugged, and then began to talk and laugh.

About a half hour later, Chad was telling a hilarious story that had everyone doubled over with laughter. He began to add onto it, but stopped short.

"Um… Troy? Isn't that Nicole?"

"Nicole?" Troy turned around and was shocked to see that his ten year old sister was walking beside a solemn-looking police officer.

"Troy Bolton?" yelled the officer. "Where is Troy Bolton?"

"That's me!" shouted Troy, waving an arm above his head.

Nicole turned her head, and Troy saw that her face was tear stained. She left the police officer's side and ran to her older brother, flinging herself into his arms.

"Nicole… Nicole, what's happened?" he asked, returning everybody's confused stares. As the policeman came over to them, Troy said, "Sir? Sir, what's wrong?"

"It's Mom and Dad," sobbed Nicole, her voice muffled by Troy's shirt. "They… they…"

"There was a car wreck," cut in the cop. "They're in the hospital, barely hanging on."

**Ooh, cliffy. Sorry. The more reviews I get, though, the more likely I am to update soon!!**


	2. Chapter 2

His mind was racing at the speed of light, and a hole was forming in the pit of his stomach, but Troy did his best to stay focused.

"Where's Addie?" he asked Nicole. "Where's Addie and the baby?"

"They're… they're in the police car. We saw the whole thing. It… it was h-horrible, Troy…"

"Hey, hey, shh," soothed Troy. He looked back at Gabriella. "Come to the hospital later, ok?"

Gabriella nodded, tears streaking down her face as she reached out to hug him. "Stay strong, Troy," she whispered into his neck. "For the girls."

Troy took a deep breath, glancing down at Nicole, whose head was still buried in his side. "Alright. I'll see you."

With that, the police officer led Troy and Nicole away, to where the car with flashing lights was pulled up to the curb.

"Troy," whispered Nicole. "I'm so scared… I'm so scared…"

"It's ok… shh…"

"What'll happen to Addie and Hattie and me?"

With that, Troy stopped in his tracks, and so did Nicole. As he stood there, looking at her, Troy felt his heart breaking for her and his other two sisters. Shaking his head slightly, he bent down to Nicole's level, making his face even with her pale, worried one, and said, "Nikki, I'll take care of everything. As long as I'm around, you and Addie and Hattie will be loved and taken care of. Ok?"

Nicole nodded, staring at the ground. "Ok."

"Hey! Let's try to speed it up!" shouted the police officer before climbing into the driver's side of the car.

Troy and Nicole walked over to the car and opened the car to crawl into the backseat, where they found Addie and baby Hattie.

"Troy," whimpered Addie. "What's going on? Troy, I'm scared."

"I know, I know. But we're going to see Mommy and Daddy right now," Troy said softly, attempting to comfort the five year old as he lifted her into his lap.

For the entire fifteen minute ride, as he felt Addie leaning on his chest, Nicole clinging to his arm, and Hattie clutching his index finger in her chubby hand, Troy formulated plans. If his parents didn't make it, which he feared was highly likely, the four of them would be orphans. It didn't matter so much that he would have no parents; he was a grown man. But for a ten year old, five year old, and one year old, it was a very big deal, and they would become his responsibility.

Well, not technically, he supposed. He could always turn them over to the foster care system. But just thinking about it made him tighten the grip he had around Addie's shoulders. Troy Bolton wouldn't trade his sisters for the world. He'd figure something out.

The officer pulled the car up to the curb. The second cop, who sat in the passenger's seat, turned around and said, "We'll drop you off here. Your friend is coming, right? So you do have a way to get home, right?"

"Yeah," said Troy. "Thank you for the ride."

"No problem, kids."

Troy handed Hattie to Nicole, then followed them out of the car with Addie in his arms. With a deep breath, he took Nicole's hand and led her into the hospital.

"Hi," he said to the receptionist. "Um, we're looking for Jack and Lucille Bolton."

The lady narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you family?"

"We're their children." Troy pulled his school ID from his pocket. "See?"

The woman took it, studied it, handed it back, nodded and looked at some papers in front of her. "Room 301. Just up ahead, to the left."

"Thank you."

The four of them started toward the hallway that had been indicated. They kept their heads turned, quietly reading off the room numbers.

"298… 299… 300…" Troy whispered. Then he stopped, and Nicole bumped into him. "Here it is. 301. Shall we go in?"

With a pounding heart, he reached out and slowly, slowly pushed the door open. "Hello? Mom? Dad? It's us."

"Troy?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, honey. Come here." Troy walked over to his mother, where he was hugged as tightly as her weak arms could manage.

"Girls," called Jack hoarsely. "Could you step outside for a second? We want to talk to Troy."

"Sure, Daddy," said Nicole, taking the baby and Addie outside, the door falling closed behind them.

For a moment, all was silent before Lucille croaked out, "We're sorry we missed your graduation, Troy."

"It's fine, really. I'm sorry this happened."

"Son, we have a favor to ask you," said Jack.

"Ok. Shoot."

"Troy… we know you love the girls. But…" Lucille extended her hand, and Troy took it, squeezing tight. "I just want you to promise us that when we're gone, you will love and take care of your sisters."

Troy nodded, a single tear making its way down his cheek. "I already told Nicole, before we came over here, that I'd take care of everything. Don't worry, Mom. They're safe with me."

"That means a lot to us, Troy."

Troy leaned down and kissed his mother's cheek. "Want me to bring them in?"

Lucille nodded, and so he did just that. His sisters came in, and he watched them go to their parents' beds, all the while thinking of the promise he'd just made and hoping with all his heart that he'd be able to keep it.

**A little longer than I intended, but that's ok! I think it's a lot better than the first chapter. Let me know what you guys think—review!!!**


	3. Chapter 3

**It just occurred to me that I haven't put a disclaimer in this story yet.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this story except for Nicole, Adelena and Hattie Bolton.**

When there was a knock on the door, everybody froze, wondering who it could be. It wasn't until Troy remembered what he'd told Gabriella earlier that he sprang up.

"Hey," she said when Troy pulled the door open.

"Hey," he replied.

"Gabriella. Maria. Hi," said Lucille. "Come here."

Troy smiled sadly as his girlfriend and her mother hugged his mom and began to talk quietly. He looked over to where the girls were sitting by their father. He was unsure what to do. Really, the whole situation was making him uncomfortable and uneasy.

A loud screech rang out and echoed in the gloomy gray room. Nicole called, "Troy, did you bring in the baby's bag?"

"No."

Nicole walked over to him. "It's probably still in our car…" she whispered, a fresh wave of tears falling down her face.

"Don't cry, Nikki. Here, I'll take Hattie, and Gabriella and I will take care of her."

At the sound of her name, Gabriella waved to Lucille and her mother, and then followed Troy into the hallway.

For five long minutes, they walked in silence, before Gabriella said, "Where are we going?"

"The nursery."

"Oh." She sighed. "I'm really, really sorry about your parents, Troy. I loved them, too…"

"Gabriella." Troy stopped and turned to her. "I promised my parents that I would take care of the girls. This… this gets in the way of everything. Everything we planned. And I'm so sorry for that."

"Don't be, Troy." She enveloped him in a hug, careful not to squish Hattie, who was on his hip. "I'm more worried about them than anything else. College just doesn't seem important right now."

He laid his head on her shoulder as he shook with sobs. "What am I going to do? I'm 18. I can't raise them! I don't have a job… I can't do it, Gabi."

"Yes, you can. _We_ can."

Troy pulled back and gave Gabriella a questioning stare. "We?"

"We. You don't have to face it alone, Troy."

"Thank you. That means so much to me."

They hugged again, and with that, they knew that whatever was to come, they'd get through it. Together.

Pulling back, Troy said, "You get diaper duty."

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

At 8:15, after visiting hours had ended and the kids had been kicked out of the hospital, Maria pulled into the Bolton's' driveway to let Troy, Gabriella and the three younger girls out of the car.

"Now, if you need anything, don't hesitate to call me. Ok?"

"Alright, Mom." Gabriella kissed her on the cheek and proceeded to get out.

Troy went into the house first and flipped on the lights. It seemed empty without the smell of his mother's cooking, and the sound of his dad dribbling on the pavement outside.

"Go get ready for bed, guys," said Troy. "Somebody put Hattie in her sleeper."

The girls started up the stairs, leaving Troy and Gabriella standing in the living room.

"I meant what I said, Troy," began Gabriella. "I won't leave you to do this by yourself. Even if it means giving up Harvard, I'll stay with you."

Troy nodded, though inside he was thinking about how he would never, ever let Gabriella pass up something like Harvard, where she could go and fulfill all her lifelong dreams.

An awkward silence followed, which Gabriella broke. "We should probably go tuck them in now."

"Yeah."

First, they went to Nicole's room. She was lying down on her stomach, looking at a scrapbook. Gabriella hung back, by the door, as Troy went to the bed.

"Hey," he said softly. Nicole looked up at him and shut her scrapbook.

"Hi."

"How do you feel?" asked Troy.

"I don't know."

"Well, if you want to talk, come find us." He leaned over and kissed the top of her head before starting to leave with Gabriella.

"Troy?"

He turned around and stepped back into the room. "Yeah?"

"Never thought I'd say this… but I love you."

"I love you too, Nikki. Good night."

When he'd shut the door, Gabriella giggled quietly. "Does she have something against you? I mean… 'Never thought I'd say this'?"

Troy truly grinned for the first time that night. "Nah, not really. Just the normal preteen hostility."

They turned into Addie's room. She was in bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Adelena, ballerina," Troy sang, using his silly nickname for his sister. Usually, she would giggle and run to hit him as hard as she could with her small fists, but now, she just kept staring.

"Addie…"

"Troy, I love Mommy and Daddy. And when people's mommies and daddies die, the kids have to go live with somebody else!"

"Yes, but those kids don't have a grown-up brother who loves them very much and will take care of them no matter what. I'll be here, Addie. Don't worry."

Addie snuggled deep into her covers. "Troy, Daddy always reads me a story."

Troy turned around and looked at Gabriella, who nodded. "Gabi will read you a story while I go say goodnight to Hattie, ok?"

"Okie-dokey."

Troy left the room and turned into the one at the end of the hallway. He heard soft gurgling coming from the crib. As he walked over and leaned over it, he smiled. Hattie had her hands and feet in the air and was sporting a big, toothy grin.

"Hey, Chumpy." Troy reached into the crib and picked her up. "Your big brother came to say night-night."

Hattie giggled her melodic baby laugh, a sound so sweet that it lifted Troy's spirits, and tugged on his ear.

Looking at the cheerful child who was squirming in his arms, Troy felt happy and sad at the same time. Hattie always reminded him of all the fond memories he had of Nicole and Addie as babies. Watching her, while they dwelled in this tunnel of darkness, brought him hope that things would turn out alright.

Still, it saddened him that Hattie would never remember her parents or what great people they were. Sure, he would tell her stories, and so would Addie and Nicole, but Hattie would never truly know them.

Suddenly, the thought of leaving that little room made Troy uneasy. Kissing the baby's chubby cheek, he placed her back in the crib. He went to the closet and pulled out several blankets and a pillow, and then went about making a pallet on the floor.

Staring into the darkness, Troy thought again of his little sisters and what the next weeks, months and years had in store for them. And then his thoughts turned to Gabriella and her willingness to postpone her Harvard dream because of how much she cared.

And his parents- he thought of his mother's pleading eyes as she tried to assure herself that her three young daughters would be cared for.

"Don't worry about it, Mom," whispered Troy. "I'll take care of them. Bet on it… bet on me."

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

In the morning, in the midst of the June sunshine, Troy awoke to see Gabriella kneeling beside him, dressed in a pair of his sweatpants and a t-shirt. In her arms was a sleeping Hattie, her head tilted so it rested against Gabriella's arm.

"Hey," said Troy, sitting up.

"Hi." Gabriella looked up from stroking the hair on Hattie's small head.

"Have you been there for a long time?" he asked.

"No. Half an hour or so. Troy…" She covered his hand with her own. "The hospital called an hour ago. Your parents… they died this morning."

**Sorry I didn't post this sooner. I actually had it ready the day after Christmas, but there was this family function and then computer trouble. Review!!**


	4. Chapter 4

**This was ready the day after Christmas, too, but I couldn't post it. But here it is now!!**

For a moment, Troy just stared at her before it him. It hit him with a sudden force, causing his breath to catch in his throat. Then came the thought, loud and clear in his mind.

They were orphans.

"Orphan," he whispered, staring into his lap. He felt Gabriella's hand on his back, rubbing his shoulder blades. "The girls…"

"Shh," soothed Gabriella. "We talked about this. It'll be ok."

Troy felt trapped. This wasn't something he or his sisters could run away from. You could run away from bad cell phone signals by leaving the basement. You could run away from a bad grade by throwing the paper in the trash. But this would always be right there, in their faces, the event that ruined everything.

Gabriella stood up, one hand on Troy's head. "Rest for awhile. Do you want me to tell the girls?"

Troy lay back down. He took Gabriella's hand off of his head and kissed it. "No. I'll tell them, after they wake up."

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door. "Troy?"

"Come in."

Nicole poked her head into the room. "Hey, guys. When do visiting hours start at the hospital?"

"Come here." Troy sat up again and patted his knee.

As Nicole lowered herself into her brother's lap, she looked up and saw the pain evident in his eyes. "Did they…"

Nothing else was needed. Troy coughed, from a sob that was coming onto him, and hugged Nicole. She leaned against him tears stinging the back of her eyes.

Sensing that the two needed to be alone, Gabriella took Hattie and left the room. Before shutting the door behind her, she turned to take a last look. She watched as Troy's gentle hand stroked Nicole's hair and Nicole stared into space in devastation. She, herself, had an ache in her heart as she thought about the siblings' sorrow. With a sigh, Gabriella hitched Hattie, who had just awakened, up higher on her hip and shut the door.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

"Hi, Gabi."

Gabriella looked up from feeding Hattie to see Addie in the doorway. "Hi, Addie. Did you sleep well?"

Addie shrugged. "I guess so. Where's Troy?"

"He and Nicole and in Hattie's room. They've been up there for a while. Why don't we go find them?" she asked, her heart heavy as she thought about what Troy had to do.

"Okie-dokey." Addie turned around and raced to the stairs. Gabriella took Hattie and followed, staying a few paces behind.

"Troy! Nicole!" shouted Addie, running down the hallway. "Where are you?"

Hattie's bedroom door opened, and out came Nicole, eyes red and puffy. "In here, Addie."

Everybody went back into the baby's room to find Troy, sitting on his pallet. The bottoms of his feet were together, as if he was doing the butterfly stretch. His head was bowed, but his eyes were open, staring into the hole framed by his legs.

Feeling four pairs of eyes of him, Troy looked up. His gaze traveled over Gabriella, Hattie and Nicole, before landing on Addie.

"Addie," he whispered.

She stepped forward. "Yeah?"

Just as he had done earlier, Troy patted is knee. Addie crossed the room and sat down.

For a moment, he stared at her, and she stared back. Troy regained his voice and took a deep breath.

"Addie, this morning, God took Mommy and Daddy to live with him in Heaven. They're looking over us from up there now."

Everyone held their breath as they waited for the little girl's reaction. At first, her brow was furrowed as she tried to figure out what Troy was saying. Ten seconds later, her eyes went wide. Five seconds from there, she was bawling in her brother's arms.

"Shh. Shh." Troy looked over to Gabriella, his lips mouthing, "Help."

"But… but who'll read me bedtime stories?" wailed Addie.

"I will," announced Troy.

"Who'll pack our lunches?"

"I will."

"Who'll-"

"Addie, I'll do everything. Everything. You hear me?" Troy stood up and pulled all five of them into a group hug. When he finally let them go, he continued. "Nothing's going to happen to any of you girls, because I won't let it. This is the family now. We've got to stick together and be there for each other. We'll make it through this. I promise."

After his little speech, Troy stood there and looked at them all- from Gabriella to Hattie to Nicole to Addie. This was his life now. College wasn't important. Basketball shouldn't even be given a second thought. All that mattered was him and his girlfriend and sisters.

Take it or leave it, he thought.

Take it. Definitely take it.

**Ok, in the next chapter, Troy and Gabriella will ponder what the heck they're going to do. I'll try to get it up soon. Review!!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry it took so long to post this! It was ready a few days ago, but I had another family function. I hope it was worth the wait! In this chapter:**

**Troy and Gabi's plan**

**What's wrong with Nicole?**

**Will Troy take up Maria's offer and leave his sisters with her, breaking his promise?**

"I think they're handling it pretty well, don't you?" Gabriella asked Troy. It was ten o' clock at night, and they were sitting at the Boltons' kitchen table, drinking limeade that Gabriella had made.

"Yeah, I guess," he replied. "I worry about Nicole, though. When Grandma died, she was almost completely silent for six weeks. She locked herself in her room all the time, too, just like she did today."

"But she talked while you guys were in Hattie's room, right?"

Troy shook his head. "No, not really. I tried to talk to her, but she ignored me."

"How about you?" asked Gabriella, her voice becoming soft. She reached across the table and lay her hand on his arm. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm doing alright. We need to talk, though. We've got to figure out what to do."

"Ok. Well… where to start…"

"Money," said Troy. "We should get jobs, at least for the summer."

"Right. I know it caused some problems last year, but maybe you could see about being the assistant golf pro at Lava Springs again? You know, since it paid so well?"

"Yeah. And…" He stopped and shook his head. "No. Well…"

Gabriella raised her eyebrows as she watched her boyfriend inwardly ponder something. "Troy?"

"Sorry… I just… I have an idea." He cleared his throat. "This is a big, nice house. Even though it'd be really sad, I think we should sell it. If we did that, could we stay with your mom until we have a better plan?"

"Sure, but, can you even sell the house? You don't own it-"

"Oh, yes, I do. They had a will, just in case, and the house is mine."

Gabriella smiled. "This'll work, then, Troy! I know my mom won't mind. If you get the job at the country club, and we sell the house, we'll be pretty well off."

"If I'd gotten a scholarship to play basketball, then I could get drafted, and if I played in the NBA, we'd have a lot of money. Stupid sprained ankle…"

"But any scholarship is good. Since we both have full ones, we're a lot better off than we would be."

"Listen to this conversation!" Troy exclaimed, putting his head in his hands. "We sound like… like adults! If it wasn't for graduation, this wouldn't be happening, and Nicole would be talking, and you and me would probably be on a date right now!"

"Troy, calm down. We have everything under control. Back to college. Are we going or not?"

"I don't know… either that, or we work in a convenience store for the rest of our lives."

"If we get the money, we could take the girls out there. Boston would be a cool place to grow up. Really, I think that would be best, because after Harvard, we could get real jobs."

"But what happens to Hattie while everyone's at school? I will not hand her over to some daycare."

"We can organize our schedules so someone is always home with her. Troy, I really think we should think about this. It could work great." Gabriella smiled earnestly at he boyfriend. He tilted his head back to look at her as she walked up behind him and started massaging his shoulders. "What do you say we go see my mom tomorrow and see what she thinks?"

Troy nodded, reaching up to caress her cheek. "Alright. Bring it on."

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

The next day, while Gabriella got Hattie and Addie prepared to go see her mother, Troy stood outside Nicole's bedroom door. He'd been there for twenty minutes, attempting to get her out, but she hadn't even spoken.

"Nicole!" he yelled again, banging on the door. "Please let me in!"

No sound came from within, and Troy signed, before feeling something tug on his hand. He looked down to see Addie, looking up at him with wide eyes.

"Hey, Addie," he said. "Ready to go?"

Instead of answering the question, Addie stepped in front of him. From the pocket of her jumper, she pulled out a paperclip. Troy watched with big eyes as she bent it to make a straight piece of wire before sticking the end in the doorknob. For a minute, she fumbled with it, before crying out with satisfaction. She pulled the door open, smirked at Troy, and stepped into the room, locking the door behind her.

"Addie!" said Troy, exasperated. "Girls, please let me in."

Addie cracked open the door and narrowed her eyes at him. "Do you know how to make 10-year-old girls feel better?"

"You know, I love being bigger than you," he said, picking her up and placing her back in the hallway. When he stepped into the room and locked her out, he tried not to think that it was just the sort of thing his dad would have done.

Troy turned to look at Nicole and felt saddened by what he saw. She lay on her bed, arm draped over her stomach, watching him with wary eyes. Her medium-long hair was in two pigtails, which were fanned out across the pillow. She looked so frail that if you put a hospital gown on her, you might just believe that she was a patient.

Troy didn't know what to say first, so he just crossed the room and sat on the bed.

For a few minutes, they stared at each other, before Troy broke the silence. "I worry about you, Nikki."

"Why?"

"What do you mean, why?" Troy asked. "You've gone mute, just like you did with Grandma."

Nicole looked up at him, her pale blue eyes scanning over him, as if deciding whether he could be trusted or not. "You don't know me at all, do you, Troy?"

"What? Of course I know you! I was the first one to hold you. I was the one who always played with you. You're my little sister."

She shook her head slowly. "It's fear."

He looked at her weird. "Fear? What?"

Nicole sighed and sat up so that both she and Troy leaned against the headboard. She had his full attention. "It started with Grandma. I was just eight, so I knew nothing. But to me, Grandma had always been a sure thing. I thought she'd be around to see me die."

"So when I was at _her_ funeral, I began to develop this fear of… of everyone I love leaving me. You probably don't remember this, but you tried to hug me and I pushed you away. It hurt your feelings, and I felt bad, but I didn't want to like people anymore. I wanted to isolate myself so when people died, I wouldn't feel sad and abandoned."

Troy nodded slowly, clinging to every word. He did remember Grandma's funeral, when he tried to comfort Nicole and she just walked away. Usually, she was so pleased to get a hug from her beloved brother, and so it left Troy in shock.

"The other night, Troy… when I said, 'Never thought I'd say this, but I love you'? You probably interpreted it wrong. I never had anything against you- I never thought I'd say it, because I never thought I could bear to love someone."

As tears began to make their way down her face, Troy gathered her up in his arms and let her cry. When she finally caught her breath, she continued, though staying in the middle of Troy's hug.

"Then this came up, and it all came back to me. At first, it was reversed- I wanted to hold on to who I had. Then it went back to the normal deal, and… Troy, I'm just so confused."

"Hey, hey, shh," he said. "Listen. I meant what I said. You and Addie and Hattie- you guys are my life now. I'm going to take care of everyone. I'll help you escape this. Ok?"

"Ok." Nicole sniffed. "There's something else you should know, Troy. I… never had a friend named Dianne."

"What are you talking about? You go to Dianne's house all the time."

"No, I don't. That's what Mom and Dad told you and Addie, because I didn't wasn't anyone to know that I was seeing a psychologist."

Troy looked into her face, to see if she was joking. Just as he expected, it was solemn.

"You didn't need to worry, Nicole. I would never make fun of something like that."

She nodded, looking at her lap.

"There are still plenty of people who love you, like me and Gabriella and Addie and Hattie. Gabriella and me, we have a plan. You don't need to worry one bit about being alone in this world. We'll always be right here."

Nicole, for the first time in a while, looked up at him and grinned. Thought cautious to believe what he said, the words were encouraging: "We'll always be right here."

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Maria Montez smiled sadly at the sight before her when she opened the door. There stood her daughter and the four Bolton children, all looking somewhat uncomfortable.

"Why, hello," said Maria, stepping aside. "Come on in."

The five of them went into the house. Troy turned to the girls. "Go on up to Gabi's room, ok? She has moving boxes in the back of her closet. Start packing up her clothes, bed sheets, stuff like that. We'll come get you later." He handed the baby bag to Addie, and they went up the stairs.

"Oh, Troy," said Maria once they were gone. "I am so sorry."

"Thanks, Maria," replied Troy, trying not to start sobbing.

"Mom, can we sit down? We need to talk," cut in Gabriella, not wanting Troy to become upset.

"Oh, sure. Come on in here."

The three sat down, Gabriella and Troy side by side on the couch and Maria in a chair across from them.

Gabriella ran off the plan quickly. "We have an idea about what to do. We're going to get summer jobs and sell Troy's house, and then we'll all go to Boston. We'll probably need quite a bit of help, though. Could you keep an eye on the girls while we work?"

"Of course. Well, actually, there might be days when I can't. Isn't Nicole old enough to babysit?"

"Yeah, but I don't really-"

"I think she's fine now, Troy. After you talked with her, she was back to normal."

"Ok." Troy twidled his thumbs. "Can we stay here after the house is sold, too?"

"You don't even have to ask, sweetie."

Gabriella and Troy looked at each other. They both felt like there must be a glitch somewhere, because there was no way it could work out so beautifully.

"So…" Gabriella broke the silence. "Do you think it's a good idea, Mom?"

"Yes, I do. I have another one. Troy…" Maria looked him squarely in the eye. "You guys can go to Harvard, and I can keep your sisters."

Troy was instantly on his feet, shaking his head no. "Thanks, Maria. I appreciate it, really. But I made a promise to my parents and to my sisters. I promised that I'd never abandon them. I gave them my word that _I _would take care of them, and I keep my promises."

Maria stood up, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Troy, yours parents had the best son in the world. Do you know that?"

"She's right." Gabriella walked up behind him and took his hand. "They did- do. They do."  
Troy looked from one smiling face to the other before turning back to Maria. "You have the best daughter in the world. Do you know that?"

**Kind of a weird way to end, but whatever. Next up: Addie forgets to perform a simple task, leading to the downfall of one of Troy and Gabriella's ideas. Stay tuned!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey, guys. Hope everybody's having a good New Year's!**

**I got a review on the last chapter wondering if Nicole would be too young to babysit. She is ten, which would usually be kind of young. To make it at least a little bit more believable, I'm making her turn 11 soon, but just bear with me. Also, I don't think anybody thought of it this way, but it occurred to me that somebody may think that she's babysitting other people's kids to get more money, but she'll just be watching Addie and Hattie when Maria, Troy and Gabriella are at work.**

**Also, this definitely isn't the longest chapter in the world, but its events are very relevant. **

**Okie-dokey, onward!**

"Ok," Gabriella said into the phone, jotting something down on notebook paper. "Ok. Thank you, sir. Good night."

The phone beeped as she placed it back on the rocker. "The funeral's on Wednesday night, 7."

"'Kay. Thanks, Gabi. I don't think I could have done it." Troy drummed his fingers on the table.

"You're welcome." Gabriella picked up the list of things to do. "What next?"

"Can't we be done for the night?" Troy put his feet up on the table and leaned on the back two legs of the chair.

"All we've done is funeral arrangements."

"And we decided that you're taking the girls shopping tomorrow."

"Troy, c'mon."

He opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by a sudden shattering of glass upstairs. As the exact same time, the baby started crying, and Addie was screaming.

Troy sprang up, and Gabriella was right on his heels as they dashed upstairs.

"Addie!" shouted Troy, rushing down the hallway. "Nicole! Where are you guys?"

"Troy! There's a fire!" shouted Addie from her room.

Troy turned into the room to see orange flames licking the ceiling, casting an eerie illumination on Addie, who cowered against the wall, ashes on her cheeks.

Troy stepped over the chunks of sharp glass that lay on the floor beside a lamp shade. He rushed to Addie and scooped her up.

"What happened?" he yelled, over the roar of the fire.

"Gabi lit a candle earlier. I forgot to blow it out and then I was going to turn off the lamp…"

Addie clung to him as they retreated to the door, where Gabriella stood, looking terrified.

"Take her," said Troy, handing over Addie. "Get out. I'm going to get Nicole and Hattie."

"Be careful," Gabriella called over her shoulder.

"You too!"

Troy ran to the next room and followed the sound of screeches to the crib. He lifted Hattie up and held her on his hip, gently bouncing her.

He went into the hallway, bowing his head and coughing from the smoke. At his bedroom door, he thought of the $600 that lie in there, but then made himself go onto Nicole's room.

"Nicole!" he yelled, fiddling with the doorknob. She had promised not to lock it. What was going on?

"Let go!" came her cry. "I'm trying to get out!"

Troy released the doorknob, and Nicole tumbled out, stopping at his feet. "What's going on?"

"Fire!" he yelled. "Take Hattie. I have to get something."

"Troy, the fire's coming this way. We have to get out NOW!"

He turned around and saw that the fire was, indeed, racing down the hallway.

"Just go. I'll be out in a minute." Troy gently pushed her toward the stairs, and then ran to his bedroom.

He rushed to the bedside table and pulled open the drawer with shaking hands. Throwing aside various items, he searched frantically for the money.

In the bottom lay a tiny box. Troy grabbed it and looked inside. There on top were the six bills, each worth one hundred dollars, and beneath was a picture. He squinted and saw that it was a family photo from just a few months after Hattie was born. His parents were there, grinning, happy.

With a snap of his head, Troy saw that the flames were beginning to sneak through his door. He slapped the lid back on the box, slipped it into his pocket, and raced out of the room.

He spun around the corner and ran down the stairs. When he reached the bottom, covered in ash, he stepped outside.

Gabriella was instantly in his arms, sobbing into his shoulder. Troy stroked her hair and let loose a few tears of his own.

A few feet away, Nicole shut Gabriella's cell phone and walked over to them. She, too, had a tearstained face.

"Was that the firefighters?" asked Addie.

"Yeah," Nicole told her. She glanced at the house, whose roof was being overcome with fire. "Where will we go, Troy?"

Troy extended an arm and pulled her into him. "We'll go live with Gabi's mom."

Sirens sounded in the distance, but they all knew it was hopeless. Half of the house had been swallowed by flames, the fire rising into the night sky. As the five stood on the front lawn, watching the lovely house become ashes, they knew that all they had were the clothes on their backs, what was in the box, and themselves.

**Does the similarity between the names Addie and Hattie bug anybody else? It's really bugging me, but the only thing I know what to do about it would bug me even more.**

**Review, review!!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I have posted a trailer for this story on YouTube. It's really cheesy, and the only music I could use was the sample music on my computer, but it might be worth looking at. The link is in my profile.**

Troy shuffled into the Montezs' kitchen the next morning to find Maria and Gabriella eating breakfast.

"Hey, Troy. How are you?" asked Maria.

"I'm ok," he said. "Can I use your phone?"

"Sure…" Maria stood up and got the phone for him. "Anything I can help with?"

"Nope." He began to dial. "Just another stupid phone call."

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Ryan Evans sat beside the pool at Lava Springs, clutching a book in his hands. His yellow beret was perched on his head, and he was really enjoying the sunshine when his cell phone began to ring.

"Hello?"

"Ryan? Listen, man, I need a favor."

"Troy? Is that you?"

"Yeah."

"Hey, what happened Friday? The cop and your sister-" Ryan was cut off by Troy's urgent voice.

"My parents died in a car wreck and left me with my three sisters who are young enough to eat off the 10 and under kiddy menu. And last night, my house burned down. Can you get Fulton to give me my golf job back? I really need it."

Ryan sat in shock from what he'd just heard before coming to his senses. "Oh… um… I'm sorry. Yeah, I'll do what I can."

"Thanks, man. If you and Sharpay want to come, the funeral's on Wednesday at 7, at Albuquerque's Church of Christ."

A long silence followed, in which Ryan tried to process what was going on. How could this happen to Troy? He and Gabriella had such a bright future together, and then this. That was when it occurred to him- Gabriella. Would she stick by Troy, or was he facing this alone?

"Ryan?" asked Troy. "Are you there?"

"Yeah."

"Can you try to get Gabriella's job back, too? We need all the money we can get right now."

"Sure."

"Thank you so much. Really, I appreciate it. It's been so awful…"

"I'll take care of it."

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

"Hey, Mr. Fulton," said Ryan as he entered the office.

"Hello, Ryan," replied Fulton, stacking some papers on his desk. "May I help you?"

"Yeah, I have a staffing matter to discuss."

"Oh, great, another one of those…"

"No, no, I'm not going to be vicious like Sharpay." Ryan sat down in front of the desk. "I just… I owe a friend a favor."

"Mr. Evans, I can't-"

"No, listen. Please. Do you remember Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez? From last summer?"

"Oh, no. That was a one-time thing. I will not have them sneaking around on the golf course and in the pool-"

"They won't. Listen. Troy and Gabriella really need the jobs-"

"Well, of course they do!" Fulton rose from his chair. "They're preparing to go away to college; they're dirt poor, blah blah blah… if I gave every college kid who needed money a job, there'd be too many college kids running around! Besides, we have an assistant golf pro AND a lifeguard."

"So promote them! Or find Troy and Gabriella different jobs. Please, sir."

"No and no. I'm sorry, Ryan, but I can't help you."

Ryan sighed. He had hoped not to go into detail about the situation, but it looked like he'd have to.

"Mr. Fulton, please. Troy's parents died on Friday. He's left all alone with his three little sisters and Gabriella. And his house burned down yesterday. They don't have anything left. The least we can do is give them work. Don't you think that's what our parents would want you to do, anyway?"

Fulton stood numb as he thought about that. Troy Bolton, the upbeat, independent boy that had led the Wildcats in their charge of Lava Springs last summer, was alone? With three sisters and no shelter or money? Though Troy had often left him exasperated, Fulton thought he was a good kid with his head screwed on right.

"Fine," he said. "You may inform them that Troy will be the assistant golf pro, and Miss Montez will be the lifeguard. Have them report to my office first thing Saturday morning before resuming their duties."

"Yes!" shouted Ryan, pumping his fist. "Thanks, Mr. Fulton!"

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Troy was in the Montezs' living room with a calculator. He was trying to figure out how to get enough money for a little apartment in Boston, the funeral, clothes, beds, and food. At the rate he was going, they'd have to take up Maria's offer to pay for the funeral, apartment, and more if necessary. Gabriella and himself had agreed that, if possible, they would not accept her mother's money.

"What'cha doing?"

Troy looked up to see Nicole standing in the doorway. She was wearing the smallest pair of pants and shirt that could be found in Gabriella's closet, which were still too big for her.

"Just doing stuff," he replied, setting down his calculator. "What about you?"

"Nothing."

"Do you feel alright?" Troy asked her. "I mean, you got kind of upset. Not that I blame you or anything."

Nicole nodded and walked over to him and knelt down on the floor. "We're in trouble, aren't we?"

"W- what are you talking about?"

"When Addie's around, you're all like, 'you're my girls and I'll take care of you and it'll be ok.' But then you go off with your calculator and you're all stressed out. It's not actually ok, is it?"

"Nicole Lila Bolton, are you calling me a liar?"

"No." She shrugged. "I just think you're trying not to get us worked up."

"Well, you know, it's kind of hard," Troy told her. "I mean, we had these plans, and then suddenly I have to take care of you three. Not that I mind, really, but I'm dirt poor and I'll feel awful if something goes wrong…"

"A lot has already gone wrong. What else can?"

Troy looked into her face, her sweet, young, innocent face, and for the umpteenth time since Friday, his heart broke. Nicole didn't deserve this. She was only ten years old, just a child, and already an orphan. If anything, however, she had earned the right to know the truth.

"Come here, Nikki," he said. He reached over and pulled her onto his lap. "I love you and I trust you, and so I'm going to be completely honest with you. Ok?"

Nicole nodded. "Alright."

"The house was going to be our main source of money, and so losing it could be a big problem. Our best bet now is getting jobs at Lava Springs, that place where we worked last year. Even then, things could get kind of bad.

"Maria will help us if we need it, so we have her to turn to. But Gabi and I don't want to have her paying a lot of our stuff. So we'll see."

Troy looked Nicole straight in the eyes, the blue ones that were twins to his. "One more thing. I know your birthday is later this month, and I'll do what I can, but I can't promise that you'll have very many nice presents."

Nicole shook her head and raised her gaze to him. "Troy, after everything that's happened, just having people here who I love and who love me is enough of a birthday present."

"That's the attitude. That's what you need to think about when stuff like this is going on," Troy told her. "But I'm still going to get my hands on something for you."

She began to say something, but the phone started to ring. Troy stood up and got it off the table. "Hello?"

Nicole sat in the floor, watching her brother slowly begin to grin as he listened to someone on the other end. Finally, he said, "Thanks, man. I owe you one!" and hung up.

"Who was it?" Nicole asked.

"Ryan Evans," he replied. "We got our jobs back!"

"So you'll get some money?"

"Yes!" Troy started dancing around the room while Nicole watched, eyebrows raised.

Once he finally stopped and notice her, she said, "Stick to singing with Gabriella, for the wellbeing of us all."

"Sorry. Don't look now, Nikki, but things might be looking up."

**Don't look now, Troy, but you're probably wrong. Ha-ha.**

**Next chapter will most likely be about the funeral.**

**Leave me a review here and a comment on my trailer!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Here is Chapter 8, finally! It's been ready for a few days, but I never got around to typing it up. Sorry for the wait. It shouldn't take nearly as long for me to get Chapter 9 up.**

Troy looked into his mirror and straightened his tie one last time. He smoothed down the black jacket of his suit, and then ran his fingers through his hair.

"Gabi!" called Addie. Troy turned to see the small girl walking briskly past the guestroom door. "Gabi, where is Hattie's dress?"

"Addie, where's _your_ dress?" yelled Nicole from the laundry room. "I thought you stuck it in the wash!"

Troy glanced at the digital clock beside his bed. It read 5:34. It was fifty minutes to the church, the funeral started at 7, and only he and Gabriella were ready.

He left the room and went into the laundry room, where Nicole and Addie were looking into the dryer.

"Ok, Nicole, do you know where your clothes are?" asked Troy as he walked up behind them.

"Yeah."

"Go get dressed." He stood where she had and leaned over the dryer. "What's it look like, Addie?"

"It's black, with a white ribbon."

Troy sorted through the clothes and, from the very bottom of the pile, he triumphantly grasped the hem of the dress and lifted out a huge clump of black fabric. He placed it atop Addie's head and left.

"Troy, have you seen Hattie's little black dress?" asked Gabriella as she came up to him. "I thought it was in the other bedroom, where she's staying."

"No idea," he said. "I'll go look."

"Thanks."

Troy started to the back bedroom, where Hattie lay on a cot.

"Hey, Chumpy. Have you seen your dress?"

He didn't expect any answer, of course, so he got on his hands and knees, just like his mother used to do, and began crawling on the floor. Under a table, he found lace booties.

"Ha!" Troy thrust them into the air.

"Twoy!"

"Wh-" He turned around and saw Hattie, mouth wide open, grinning. "Hattie, did you just talk?"

"Twoy!"

Troy opened his mouth to yell for his mother, but then he remembered. She would never see this day. There were four baby books, probably in ashes now. Lucille Bolton had carefully tracked all of Hattie's milestones, and had she been there, she would have grabbed the newest book and begun working diligently.

But his mom wasn't there, and it made Troy shed a few tears. He quickly wiped them away, though, when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

Maria smiled gently as him. "Nicole's kind of upset. Would you go talk to her?"

"Yeah. Will you try to find Hattie's dress? Nobody knows where it is."

"Of course, sweetie."

Troy walked out into the hallway, glancing at the clock on the wall as he passed. 5:50.

"Nicole!" he called, pounding on Maria's bedroom door, where the two middle Bolton girls were staying. "Let me in."

"It's unlocked!" came the tearful voice from inside.

Troy pushed the door open and looked inside. Nicole sat on the edge of the bed, dressed in a black dress that looked like Addie's. Her hair fell loosely over her shoulders, and her hands were clasped in her lap.

"I can't do it, Troy," Nicole said shakily. She tucked her hair behind her ear. "I can't say goodbye to them."

Troy came across the room and sat beside her. "Don't think of it like that. Think of it as honoring Mom and Dad. Think of it as saying, 'See ya,' until we go to heaven."

"But I don't want to say 'See ya'! I just want Mom and Dad to be alive."

"I know. That's what we all want, Nikki. But we can't have it, so we shouldn't stop living. Mom and Dad would want us to stop moping and start our lives back up. You want them to be happy while they're watching over us, don't you?" Troy looked at her meaningfully. Nicole wouldn't tear here eyes away from her lap, so he reached over and lifted her chin. "Don't you?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I do."

"Okay, then. What do you say we try to round up Hattie and Addie and get going?"

"Yeah." Nicole swiped at her eyes and let Troy take her hand to lead her out the door.

Gabriella was in the hallway, crouched down to be face to face with Addie. In one arm was Hattie, who tugged on Gabriella's earring. With her free hand, Gabriella was slipping a barrette into Addie's hair, all the while telling her how pretty she looked.

Maria came up the stairs. "It's six, guys. Ready to go?"

"Yup," Gabriella said. She stood and handed Nicole a hair clip that looked just like Addie's. "Here, Nicole. If you want to wear it, that is."

"Oh, sure," she said, putting it in.

Maria smiled and began to usher everyone downstairs, and the six of them were off to the funeral.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Fifty minutes later, when they arrived very late for the visitation, the six of them were greeted by welcome, familiar faces.

"Guys!" said Troy, breaking into a strained grin, despite the circumstances. "What are you doing here? I never called anyone."

"You called me," said Ryan. "I let everybody else know."

The entire gang was there- Taylor, Chad, Ryan, Sharpay, Zeke, Jason, Kelsi and Martha. They were all decked out in black, looking solemn.

"We're so sorry," said Taylor, pulling Troy into a hug. She pulled back and looked to the three younger girls. "Are these your sisters?"

"Yeah. Nicole, Addie, Hattie." He touched each of their heads in turn.

A clock on the wall chimed as it struck 7. People began to filter into the sanctuary. The friends became one big mass, walking slowly together, and followed everybody else inside.

Everyone found a seat, the group of friends settling down in the third and second rows. While the rest of the gang sat in the row behind them, Troy, Gabriella, Maria and the girls sat in the second one.

As the priest began to speak, Troy glanced sideways. To his right were Maria and Gabriella, looking very much alike as they looked to the front. Gabriella, he thought, looked beautiful with her hair falling over her face and her brown eyes shining with tears. And every time he saw Maria, he thought of her generosity at paying for the funeral and everyone's clothes.

Troy looked down at Hattie, who sat in his lap, gurgling and cooing. She kept leaning forward, chubby hand outstretched, trying to grab at some invisible object. Her brother would quickly pull her back up and hold her, his grip gradually loosening, and then he'd do it again.

To Troy's left, Addie and Nicole say side by side. Addie lay against Nicole's shoulder, crying silently. Nicole looked miserable; she would have cried if it wasn't for Addie and the feeling that she needed to comfort her little sister.

Troy sighed. He really wished there was some way to get through to her that nothing was her responsibility. It was all on him. Here she was, holding back tears at her parents' funeral, because she had, for some reason, convinced herself that she had to stay strong for Addie. In reality, it was he who had to stay strong for all of them.

When Gabriella tapped his shoulder, Troy turned his head around to look at her. At this point, there was makeup running down her face. "You ok?" she whispered.

"Yeah. Fine."

Gabriella nodded and turned to face the front again. Troy stopped Hattie from inching away from him and reached around Addie to tug on Nicole's sleeve.

"You can cry," he whispered.

Nicole opened her mouth to reply, but her lip began to quiver and she couldn't speak as huge waves of tears slid down her cheeks.

Addie instantly sat up and hugged her, crying herself. Helpless, Troy was going to face the priest again, but Maria was leaning towards him. "Can you go up?"

Troy pursed his lips. He and Maria had agreed that, if he couldn't, she would speak about his parents to the congregation. But after he'd thought through how he needed to be strong for the rest of the family, Troy knew that he should and would do it.

"Yeah," he told Maria, rising from his seat and handing the baby to Gabriella. Feeling many eyes upon him, he slowly walked to the front.

"Hi," Troy began, looking out over everybody. His parents had both been only children, so the only family there that he knew was one of his mom's cousins. His father's father had died when Troy was a baby, and the Boltons' only grandparents who lived were in nursing homes. These people looking at him were strangers, except for his friends and sisters.

"I'm Troy Bolton," he went on. "I'm Jack and Lucille's oldest child and only son. I'll be speaking for myself and for my sisters- Nicole, Adelenda, and Hattie.

"Okay, well, my dad. He was a really great guy. Passionate, too. Passionate about his family and about basketball. We had a pretty good relationship, since it was us two and four girls. On the outside, he could get kind of rough, but you didn't have to know him real well to know that he had a good heart.

"My mom was the same. She was a sweet, sincere person whose family meant everything to her. Even though…" Troy laughed, despite beginning to cry. "She was a little rough around the edges, too. Mom, she loved us kids. We loved- love- her, too."

Troy took a breath. "I truly believe that the best way for me to honor Mom and Dad is to keep my promise to them. That night at the hospital, I promised to take care of and love my sisters. I intend to do that with as much caring and sincerity and commitment as my parents did. It doesn't have to stop there, you know. Whenever you do something nice or loving or caring, from here on out, think of my parents. And know that they are proud of what you did.

"One more thing, just real fast. I told my oldest sister this, and it is what I'll be reminding myself right now and for, probably, a long time to come. Don't think of it as saying good-bye. Think of it as saying, 'See ya,' until we go to heaven and see them again."

And with that, Troy stepped off the stage and went back to his seat.

Maria and Gabriella, in tears, hugged him. Hattie just cooed, and Addie and Nicole were smiling while they sobbed. All the people in that sanctuary watched the young man, Troy Bolton, who they didn't even know, and were moved. With that one short speech, they knew that those three girls would always be okay with him, and that the boy would honor his late parents, each and every day, with his kind, loving actions.

**Ok! There you have it. I hope it's accurate- I have never been to a funeral, so I had to feed off of what I can interpret from stories on here and stuff.**

**I have a question for you guys. Once, I think it was in Chapter 5, I made a list at the top that said the main parts of that chapter. At the end, I wrote one or two sentences about the next chapter. Did you guys like that, or not, or did you not really care? **

**One more thing before I finally post this. I have a lot more readers that I do reviews. Please leave me a review! Even though Chapter 9 is nearly ready, I think I'll hold it hostage until I get some reviews. :D So get them in!!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Wow, my strategy really worked! I got so many reviews that I cannot justify NOT updating! Thanks so much, you guys! **

**A couple of people requested the little chapter preview things, so I will be doing that.**

**In this chapter:**

**-Troy and Gabriella begin their work at Lava Springs again**

**-Maria provides a solution to Troy's stress over Nicole's birthday- and no, she does not loan him cash**

It was Saturday morning, and Troy was standing with Gabriella outside Fulton's office. They were side by side, hands intertwined, and exchanging nervous glances.

"Ok," Troy finally said, raising his hand to knock.

They stood in silence for a moment, and then the door creaked open, and Fulton appeared. He smiled that snide Fulton-ish smile of his. "Ah, Bolton. Montez."

"Hi, Mr. Fulton," Troy said, extending his hand.

"Hello, Mr. Bolton. Why don't you step into my office, and we'll talk."

Troy and Gabriella followed him inside and took seats in front of the desk. Fulton walked behind it and stood there, peering at them. "Welcome back. Now, Ryan tells me that things aren't going that well at home."

Troy looked down, rubbing his neck. "Yeah."

"Let me see if I've got this straight. Your parents have died, the house burned down, and you have three sisters in your care. Correct?"

"Yeah?"

"How old are they?"

"10, 5, and 1."

"Sounds like you've got a lot on your plate."

"I do."

"That's why, after Ryan told me this, I decided to give the two of you your jobs back. However. I wanted to be very clear. I expect nobody to be setting up secret dates in the pool, on the golf course, etc, etc. There will be no lollygagging. You should come here, do your jobs, and leave." Fulton put his hands together and raised his eyebrows. "Kepeesh?"

The young couple nodded. Fulton sat down and, his voice softening, said, "I'm very sorry about what happened, Troy. If there is anything that I can do, as a friend, please let me know."

"I will, Mr. Fulton," said Troy. "Thank you very much."

And the second era of Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez at Lava Springs Country Club had begun.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

"How was it?" asked Taylor as Troy and Gabriella climbed into the backseat of her car.

"Just like last year," said Gabriella. "Thank you for picking us up, Tay."

"Yeah. How come your mom couldn't, Gabi?" Troy asked.

She shrugged. "Not sure."

From the front seat, Taylor called, "I thought you said Nicole got sick."

Troy's eyes went wide, and he turned to Gabriella, who was cringing. "What? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was scared you'd be worried. Don't get scared, Troy. Mom said that it wasn't anything serious."

"Ok. Ok." He settled back into his seat.

"Speaking of Nicole," his girlfriend continued, "isn't her birthday coming up?"

"Yeah. On the 27th."

"What are you going to do about that?" asked Taylor.

"I don't know. I feel guilty, but-"

"Here we are!" exclaimed Taylor, pulling up in front of Gabriella's house. They said their goodbyes, and the two of them climbed out of the car.

As they hiked up the hill to the front door, Gabriella asked, "So what will you do about her birthday?"

"I told her that it's probably going to be pretty lame, but I'm going to get something for her."

Maria met them at the door before they even knocked. "How was work?"

"Fine," said Gabriella.

"How's Nicole?" asked Troy.

Maria turned and motioned up the stairs. "She's ok, but I think you should go see her. She's in Gabi's room, since it's closer for me to go back and forth."

Troy nodded and started up, leaving mother and daughter alone.

"Mom," said Gabriella as they walked into the living room. "I feel really bad for Troy. I mean, I know that I'm in this with him, but it's so much harder for him to cope. He's feeling a lot of pressure to take real good care of the girls."

"I know he is," sighed Maria.

"And now Nicole's birthday is coming up, and he really doesn't have much money at all, but he feels so bad about not being able to get her something nice."

Maria's eyebrows shot up. "When's her birthday?"

"The 27th. Why?"

"Oh, just wondering," she lied.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Meanwhile, Troy entered Gabriella's room, smiling at all the pictures of the two of them that adorned the walls.

In the bed was a figure, covered by a pick comforter. Troy approached and leaned forward to see whether Nicole was awake or not.

"She's sleeping."

Troy jumped three feet in the air, holding his hand over his heart. He whipped his head around to see Addie, her head poking out from behind the door of Gabriella's closet.

"Adelena Rose," he hissed, walking away from the bed. "What are you doing?"

"Maria said I could try to find a game in here," she said from her hands and knees.

"Well, your sister is trying to sleep," Troy replied, reaching down to help her up. "Come on, let's go."

"You were in there, too," pouted Addie as he led her out the door.

"But I'm a loving brother who was concerned about his sister's well-being."

"Well, if you're so special, then why don't you go get me a game?"

"How about ice cream? It's downstairs."

"Troy."

The two of them looked up to see Maria. She stood at the top of the stairs, motioning to Troy. "Come with me."

He followed her down the hallway to her room, where they stepped inside and Maria shut the door before walking over to her jewelry box.

Troy watched in awe as she pulled a silver chain with a heart on it from the tiny drawer. Immediately, he recognized it as the necklace that he, his dad, and two oldest sisters had worked so hard to get for Mother's Day two years prior.

Jack had found it in a catalog that came with the Sunday morning paper, one week before the big day. He'd called the kids, and Troy came in first, followed by Nicole, who was dragging three-year-old Addie by the hands.

They all agreed that it was perfect for Lucille, and Jack gave Troy his credit card so he could take Nicole to get it as Addie shrieked, "Mama! Neck-ace!"

Long story short, Jack was soon driving to the mall in the family's other car to bail his two oldest children out of mall jail. A twenty year old man had been whistling a tune while facing Troy and Nicole, and Troy had seriously misinterpreted it as a wolf whistle directed toward Nicole. After that came an incident involving punches, a pair of socks, and mall security.

Back in the present, Maria said, "This was your mother's. She came over for coffee one day, and took it off. She left without it. I never got around to giving it back."

Troy took a deep breath and reached for it. His mother's. It was his mother's. When he thought that there was no trace of her left in the world, here his was, holding one of her most precious belongings.

"Gabi told me Nicole's birthday is coming up soon."

He snapped his head up, confused at the change of subject.

"I think you should give it to her as a present," Maria said softly.

It was a great idea. There was nobody in the world, in his honest opinion, who deserved this one remnant of their mother more than Nicole Lila Bolton.

"Open it."

"Open it?" he repeated, speaking for the first time. "It doesn't open."

"Yes, it does."

And so, Troy tugged at the heart to find that it was, in fact, a locket, something he and his sisters and father had not known when they bought it. What shocked him more was this: on one side was a photo of his mom, and on the other side was one of his dad. There was a piece of each of their parents in that necklace, and somehow, Troy knew that it was a miracle.

"It's perfect," he whispered.

**Ok, that wasn't the most interesting thing I've ever written, but I hope it'll tide you over.**

**As for what's in the next chapter, I haven't begun that one yet. I was going to do one thing, but I decided that it should wait until Chapter 11. So I am having a little bit of writer's block. The only thing I know for certain is that Nicole will still be sick. Even though it might be a while until it's ready, I will still hold Chapter 10 hostage if I don't receive enough reviews. So get them in!!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Oh, I am sooooooo sorry it took me so long to update. I got lots of reviews, but I was really busy with homework and other writing and blah, blah, blah. But here it is now!!**

"Troy, I'm fine. Just leave."

Troy kept walking back and forth across the kitchen, unmoved by Nicole's words. "You know where the First Aid kit is, right?"

"Yes."

"Where's your list of emergency?"

"Right here," Nicole sighed. She held up a scrap of paper with her brother's handwriting on it.

Nervously, Troy lay a hand on Nicole's forehead. "Are you sure you're ok? You've only been out of bed for a few days…"

She slapped his hand away. "Troy Michael, just leave. I've got it."

It was the first day in which Troy, Gabriella and Maria all had to work, and Nicole was in charge. Troy was concerned, because she was only three days removed from a sinus infection, and she'd never babysat before.

"Troy," called Gabriella from the foyer. "Calm down. Nicole's a big girl."

"Seriously," said Nicole, shoving Troy. "Now go."

"Alright, alright," he muttered. "Call me if there's any trouble. Remember, I have Gabi's cell phone. And if I don't pick up-"

"Call Maria," cut in his sister. "I'm not dumb."

"Tro-o-o-oy!"

Addie came racing down the stairs, holding Hattie. "She kept saying your name."

Grinning, Troy took the baby. "Hey, Chumpy. You going to make sure Addie minds Nikki?"

In response, Hattie sneezed in his face.

"Ok," he said, wiping his cheek with the back of his hand as he gave Hattie to Nicole. "Now, I'm happy to leave. See you guys."

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

"Bolton!" barked Fulton. "Montez! You're fifteen minutes late!"

"Sorry, sir," said Troy. "My sister… and then our friend who was coming to pick us up was trapped in traffic…"

"Stop wasting time! Go to work. Chop, chop, chop…"

Troy left Gabriella at the pool and went out to the golf course, where fifteen kids aged five to ten were waiting around.

"Sorry, guys," yelled Troy as he came up to them. "I'm running a little late today. Grab a club from that bag, and get started."

As the kids began to show off their less than amazing golf skills, Troy walked off and dialed the Montezes' home phone number. Just as he was about to push 'Call', though, the screen went black. He cursed and stuck Gabriella's phone back in his pocket. Since he no longer had one, and hers was dead, Nicole had no way to reach him.

The first group of kids finished up, and batch after batch came in. Troy's nerves slowly began to ease, as he focused on teaching the kids and nearly forgot about his sister.

At four-thirty, when the intruder alarm sounded over all of Lava Springs, and Troy had to quickly usher the kids into the fancy-looking shed, the one that was real fancy on the outside, he hoped so much that it was just dangerous in the country club, and not elsewhere in the city.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Nicole cringed.

She didn't know heads from tails at Lava Springs. From where she stood, all she could see was a big, brown building that was flat on all edges. Even worse, there was a very loud alarm going off, meaning security would be on her tail very soon.

A grey-haired man with glasses and a suit came jogging around the side of the building. He saw her and began to yell, but Nicole broke into a sprint.

Athleticism ran in the Bolton family, so she went quickly, rounding two corners of the building. There was a huge green field behind the second one, with golf clubs and balls scattered every which way.

"You! Girl!"

Nicole turned wildly to see the man gaining ground. Once again, she took off running, and began to shout. "Troy! Troy!"

There was some rustling inside of a little shed. She raced toward it. "Troy!"

From inside came her brother's voice. "Nicole? Is that you?"

"Yes!" she yelled, turning around. The grey-haired man had nearly reached her.

The door opened, and Troy came out. Behind him were the curious faces of little kids.

"Ha!" The man shouted as he caught up to her, grabbing her by the elbow. "I've got you. Come with me, missy."

"No, Mr. Fulton, wait!" Troy said in a rush. He took Nicole's arm and pulled her away from Fulton. "This is my sister."

"Oh, good. Another Bolton running around here."

Ignoring him, Troy turned toward Nicole. "What are you doing here? How did you get here?"

"I ran."

"You ran down the highway?!"

"Yes, but that's not important," she said, beginning to cry. "It's the baby. She's got a fever- 105 degrees or something. You've got to come with me now!"

Nicole could see that he was about to panic. "What?! Where is she?"

"I left her alone with-"

"With ADDIE? Nicole, she is five!"

"I know!" Nicole exclaimed through her sobs. "But I wasn't able to get you or Mraia! Nobody answered the phone!"

Troy turned to Fulton, "Sir, can I use your cell?"

Fulton sighed, but handed it over. Troy dialed a number, and then said, "Taylor? Hey… listen, you need to get to Lava Springs. I have to leave. Yes… not now… bye."

As he gave the phone back to his boss, Troy said, "Could you tell Gabriella what's going on?"

"Certainly, Mr. Bolton."

"Thanks." He turned to Nicole. "Let's go."

Twenty minutes later…

"Addie!" yelled Troy, flinging open the door. "Where are you?"

"Up here! With Hattie!"

Troy and Nicole ran up the stairs, following the sounds of screams. Hattie lay on the cot with Addie leaning over her, cooing sweet nothings. He fell to his knees beside her, feeling Hattie's head.

"Where's the thermometer?" he asked. Nicole handed it to him. He stuck it under her arm, then picked her up, careful to keep the left arm pinned to her side.

"Make her stop!" yelled Addie, covering her ears with her hands.

"Shut up, Addie!" snapped Nicole. "You're going to rile her up!"

"Be quiet, you guys! Go get some food or something."

The two of them stood and left, bickering all the while. Troy sighed and started rocking the baby, murmuring a song, which had no effect.

Five minutes later, Troy took the thermometer and looked at it, instantly gasping. 109 degrees.

"Nicole!" he shouted. "Call a cab!"


	11. Chapter 11

**Oh my gosh, I feel horrible that it's taken me so long to get this up. I'm really, really sorry. **

**Jenbabyluv made the suggestion of Gabriella and Troy having a fight and one of the girls siding against him and the other for him… I am going to take her up on that idea in this chapter, but not to a very large extent, and with both of them going against their brother. How fun!**

**One more thing- background knowledge for this chapter. All the Bolton kids named each other, except the parents named Troy, obviously. He got Nicole's first name, and the parents got to pick her middle name. When Addie was born, Nicole picked the first name and Troy got the middle name. Hattie has two middle names-- the first name is Addie's, the first middle name is Nicole's and the second one is Troy's. Hope that's not too confusing for you…**

Troy, Addie, and Nicole piled into the bright yellow taxi that had pulled into the driveway. Hattie was in Nicole's lap, wailing.

"Where to?" called the driver.

"The hospital," Troy told him.

"And step on it," shouted Addie, earning puzzled looks from her two older siblings.

As they neared the huge building, Troy thought of that night, his parents' last. He'd promised to take care of those girls. And look where he was now. In a taxi, taking the baby and her 109 degree fever to the hospital.

When the taxi pulled up to the curb, and the driver turned to tell them what they owed, Troy remembered with a groan that he had no money on him.

"Look, man," he said, leaning toward the front. "My little sister's got a fever of 109 degrees. I can't waste time out here. But I also can't pay you. So if you pay it, and you give me your number, I'll mail you the money."

The guy shook his head and pulled out his wallet. "I'll pay it. Don't worry about it."

"You're serious?"

The driver turned around, and Troy could see that he was only three or four years older. "Something happened to your parents, and you've got the little ones on your hands. Right?"

Troy nodded, mute.

"I've got a daughter. And a sister. They're not that far apart in age. I know what it's like. Take this, too."

And right there, before Troy's wide eyes, the young man pulled three one hundred dollar bills from his wallet and gave them to him. "Keep it."

"Troy!" shrieked Nicole. "Hattie threw up on me!"  
"Thank you," Troy told the driver. "So much." He turned to see Nicole, covered in baby vomit, Hattie, screeching and wiggling about, and Addie, backed up against the car door, disgusted. "Sorry about the mess, man-"

"I'll clean it. You get going. Good luck."

"You too."

The four siblings piled out of the cab, and broke for the entrance. They wove through people, who cast them curious glances. Troy opened the heavy glass door and ran toward the desk.

"Excuse me. I have a baby with an one hundred nine degree fever," he told the woman.

Looking alarmed, the woman got on the phone and said, "Smith! Get your little crew of pediatricians down here! We've got a baby with a fever!"

The woman hung up and stood, walking around the table to them. "Let me see her."

Troy handed over Hattie. The lady pointed up. "Go to the waiting room on level three. That's where she'll be coming out." Then she left with their baby sister.

Nicole and Addie looked up at Troy, who forced a smile and put an arm around each of them. "Who's hungry?"

"Not me," mumbled Addie, burying her head in Troy's side and beginning to cry. "I want Mommy and Daddy."

Troy looked to Nicole for help, but she looked just as young, innocent and scared as Addie did. "Will Hattie be ok?" she whispered.

"Of course," he told her. He looked at each of them. "Hey, guys, come on. Nikki, remember when Hattie was born, and everyone was so happy that it was ok- you know, because of the miscarriage? And you had the first middle name? You decided on Esperanza, because that means hope, which is what Hattie brought us. There's no reason she shouldn't still bring us hope. Don't worry. It'll be ok. That baby is the most strong-willed human being ever."

Addie looked up at him. "Why is my middle name Rose?"

Troy smiled and tweaked her nose. "You came out looking like a little rose. You were red all over and kind of wrinkled." He stuck his tongue out. "What's that smell?"  
"Me," said Nicole, motioning toward the dried up baby puke.

"Poor Nikki," teased Troy. "Come on, let's go get a phone and tell Gabi to bring you some clothes."

Hand in hand, they walked to the elevator and went to the third floor. Milling around for half and hour, they found a phone and called Gabriella, who said she'd be up in an hour with a change of clothes for Nicole. Then they wandered into the dining area and had a dinner of soda, donuts and cheesy snack crackers.

As they were finishing up, Gabriella and Maria entered through the double doors. In Gabriella's hand was a Wal-Mart sack.

"Hey," she said, smiling at them all. "How's the baby?"

"We're not sure," Troy told her. "We should probably go see if they're done yet."

Maria stayed in the dining room to have a coffee, while Troy, Gabriella and the girls went off to the waiting room. While Nicole and Addie went into the bathroom, Gabriella glanced anxiously at Troy.

"Gabi?" he asked. "Are you ok?"

She looked at him, biting her lip. "How much money do we have, Troy?"  
"Eh… I don't know, 2500, maybe. Why?"

"Well… how much is this going to cost?"

A flash of anger shot through Troy. "Does it matter?"

"I don't know! I'm just thinking… maybe you shouldn't have rushed her out here so soon. This could be expensive-"

"A hundred and nineteen degrees, Gabriella!" snapped Troy. "That can be fatal for a nineteen-month old!"

"Calm yourself, Troy. All I'm saying is that maybe you could have just taken good care of her yourself. It'd be taking a chance, but-"

"Taking a chance?! It's not a lottery ticket, Gabriella. We're talking about my baby sister's life!"

"I know that, Troy!"

"If you knew that, then why did you say that we should have taken a chance with her?" shot back Troy. "You don't care about her? Is that it?"

Gabriella's eyebrows shot up into her hairline. She sat, numb, in her chair, before getting up to leave.

Troy flopped down in a chair, head in his hands. He was so confused.

"You were mean to Gabi."

He looked up at the sound of Addie's voice. She and Nicole stood in front of him, arms crossed, glaring.

"Guys-" Troy began, but they had already stomped off.

Letting out a loud groan, Troy hit his head against the wall. The only person who wasn't against him right now was a baby in intensive care.

**Once again, I feel totally horrible that I waited so long to get this up for you guys. Since you waited so long, you deserve a preview of the next chapter.**

_**Troy led the two of them into the dimly lit room. There was on window with some sunshine coming through. In the bed lay Hattie, fast asleep. There were machines around the bed and a couple of cords attached to the little body.**_

_**He stood next to the baby, looking down on her. Nicole and Addie stood next to the wall and watched their brother run a finger down Hattie's cheek.**_

_**Troy touched her gently, as if she was thin glass. All he could think about was what an idiot he was. He's promised to take care of those girls, and now, here he was in a hospital room with the littlest of the three.**_

**Please review!!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Spring break! Whoo-hoo! I'll try to get at least a couple chapters up during the next week and a half. Here's Chapter 12!**

Hours later, a nurse finally came out to speak with them. Nicole and Addie had come back, but refused to acknowledge their brother, who was downright miserable.

"Hattie Bolton?" asked the nurse, reading off of her clipboard.

"Yeah," Troy said.

The nurse looked at them suspiciously. "Who are you?"  
"We're her siblings," Troy told her.

"Do you have some sort of identification?"

"My house burned down. We don't have our birth certificates. But we were born in this hospital, so you can check our footprints or something."

The nurse shook her head. "That can get really complicated. I'll believe you." She cleared her throat. "Hattie is responding very well to treatment. It was only a fever. She should be good to go in a couple of days. Would you like to come see her?"

"Please," he said, standing up.

"Go down that hallway. First door on the left."

Troy turned to see if the girls would come with him. They just gave him cold nods.

He led the two of them into the dimly lit room. There was one window with some sunshine coming through. In the bed lay Hattie, fast asleep. There were machines around the bed and a couple of cords attached to the baby.

He stood next to the bed, looking down on her. Nicole and Addie stood next to the wall and watched him run a finger down the baby's cheek.

Troy touched her gently, as if she was thin glass. All he could think about was what an idiot he was. He'd promised to take care of those girl, and now, here he was in a hospital room with the littlest of the three.

Nicole came up behind him. "It's a fever, Troy. There's nothing you could have done."

He whipped his head around. "You're not mad at me?"

She shrugged. "Let's not push it."

Addie joined Nicole. "I'm not mad, either, Troy."

"Really?"  
"Yeah."

"Thanks, but I think we're out of luck as far as where we're staying tonight."

"Call Chad," said Nicole.

"You can stay with us."

They all turned around to see Maria in the doorway.

"Nobody will mind," she went on. "Gabi and I get pretty lonely. I know you had a disagreement, but you're still welcome."

"Thank you, Maria," said Troy. "I think I'll send Nikki and Addie with you, if that's ok, and I'll stay the night here."

"That's fine. Come along, girls," Maria said. At the door, she turned around. "Oh, and Troy. I've got the bill."

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

Hattie made a rapid recovery and was released in two days, just as the nurse had predicted. Since Maria took over the hospital bill, there was nothing for Troy and Gabriella to argue about, so they both admitted that they'd gotten carried away.

Before they knew it, it was June 27th. Troy had wrapped up his mother's necklace and a bracelet he'd found on a clearance rack at Wal-Mart.

Nicole looked fairly surprised that she even had any presents at all. She gave Troy a big hug and then proceeded to unwrap the bracelet.

"Aww, Troy, it's so pretty! Thank you."

"Uh-huh." He reached over and handed her the wrapped box with the necklace inside. "Open this one."

Nicole nodded and took it. As she opened the box, her eyes filled with tears, and she lifted it out, holding it by the chain.

"This was Mom's-" she began.  
"Yeah."

Nicole looked up at Troy, and he nodded his head. "Open it."

"It opens?"  
"Yep. I never knew, either, until Maria told me."

From the other side of the living room, Maria and Gabriella watched the scene with smiles on their faces. Addie stood next to them with her head leaning back on the doorframe. Hattie sat on the floor, playing with her sippy cup.

Troy wasn't sure whether Nicole would cry or not. She just stared at the pictures of her parents, and then laughed, to everyone's surprise.

"Remember when we got this?" she asked, turning toward Troy.

"Yeah."

"And that guy was whistling 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat', and he was walking past us, so you thought he was whistling at me?"

Troy laughed. "Yeah."

"Daddy was so mad at you. And me, for showing my shoes at that guy when he punched you back. But mostly you."  
"And remember when that security guard came to break it up? He couldn't do it. He called for reinforcement."

"The whole time, you where screaming, 'He whistled at my baby sister! Nobody touches my baby sister!' And the poor guy was like, 'What?! She a little kid!'"

For the first time since the death of their parents, Troy and Nicole shared a grin- a true, genuine, happy grin. And then they laughed.

**My computer kept redirecting that blinky thing while I was typing this. I think I fixed all the typos, but if you find something wrong, that's what happened. Review!!**


	13. Chapter 13

**I just realized how long it's been since I've updated! I'm so sorry. I'll try to make it more consistent, starting now. Here's Chapter 13.**

Before they knew it, it was midway through July, and Troy and Gabriella knew that they had to get going soon. Nicole was getting nervous and would follow Troy around for hours, demanding to know what was going on. Addie was right behind her, complaining about sharing a room and bed with Nicole. Hattie, as her speech progressed, echoed her sisters' outbursts of "Shut up, Troy!" and "This is stupid!" and "Tell me!"

So they decided that on the first of August, they'd take a plane to Boston and settle down there. They found a place to live on Harvard's campus that was relatively cheap, and they'd signed up for all their classes in a way that allowed someone to always be with the baby.

Maria refused to let them pay for five plane tickets. She insisted that the debt for those fall into her hands. After a lengthy debate with her, Troy and Gabriella finally agreed.

The morning of their departure, the whole gang came to Gabriella's house. Five suitcases sat just inside the door. Everyone was milling around, reluctant to let Troy and Gabriella go. When it got late enough to where they were cutting it close, everybody lined up by the door, hugged Troy and Gabriella and the girls, and helped them with the luggage.

And then, with all of the girls in tears, the gang stood on Gabriella's lawn and watched Maria drive off with them.

In the car, Troy was getting a feel of what his life would be like from now on. Whole hugging Gabriella, he was mouthing instructions to Nicole: _get the baby bag, tell Addie to put her seat belt on._

They reached the airport, and Maria reluctantly turned in her seat. "Want me to walk you in?"

"We'll be ok," Troy told her. Gulping, he said, "Come on, guys. Gabi?"

Gabriella sat up and wiped her eyes, then reached over to hug her mother. "Bye, Mom."

"Bye, sweetie. You two call if you need anything at all, ok?"

"Ok. Thanks, Maria." Troy motioned to Nicole. "Nikki, help me with the luggage."

"Sure."

They got it all, and then sadly trudged toward the airport's entrance, found their gate, and sat.



"I hope we know what we're doing, Bolton," grumbled Addie.

"Of course we do," Troy said. What he was thinking was, _Me too, Addie_.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

"Ready?" asked Troy. In his hand was the key to their apartment. In front of him was the door.

"Yee!" shrieked Hattie, pounding on it.

"I'm scared," whispered Gabriella.

"Holy cow," said Addie, snatching the key. "I'll do it."

"Hey." He snatched it back. "My house, my key. Got it, shorty?"

"I'm taller than you were at this age!"

"Who said?"

"GUYS! Open the door. I'm cold," Nicole cut in.

So he did.

"Oh, Troy…"

They opened the door to find a spacious living room, connecting into the kitchen. There was a loft and three bedrooms.

"You like it?" asked Troy.

"Oh, it's amazing," whispered Gabriella.

"Girls, go call dibs on rooms," Troy told them. "Hattie can't have the loft, 'cause the crib won't fit."

When they left, Troy turned back to Gabriella and took her hands. "So."

"Troy Bolton, you are amazing."

"I try. You're pretty darn awesome, too."

She giggled. "I love you."

"Love you too."

**I hope this holds you guys over. It's not that long, but now they're in Boston. Again, I'm really sorry about the lack of updates on this story. I'm going to work on doing better. Review, please!!**


	14. Chapter 14

"Troy, Troy, I don't want to go!" wailed Addie.

"Listen to me, Addie," Troy said, kneeling before his sister. "Kindergarten is fun. Right, Nikki?"

"Huh?" asked Nicole with a piece of toast in her mouth.

"Never mind." He turned back to Addie. "You'll have fun. Maybe you'll meet another nice little girl. And Nicole will be in the same building. Gabi and I will be just down the road. Ok?"

Addie swiped at her tears. "I want Daddy. Daddy would have given me a kiss and called me princess and said that he'd always, always, _always_ be there. Except he's _not_."

Stunned, Troy tried to figure out what to say to that, but Gabriella saved him. "Troy, where are the binkies?"

"I'll take care of her." He took the screaming baby. "Can you make them breakfast?"

"Sure."

"Shh, Hattie. Here. Put it in your mouth. "No, put it in. There you go." Troy kissed her. "Let's go try to make Addie feel better."

They retreated to the kitchen, where Addie was still sobbing. "Why did Mommy and Daddy have to leave? I miss them!"

"I know," soothed Gabriella, handing her a plate of pancakes. "It's ok. Eat up, ok?"

"She's not doing too well," his girlfriend whispered to him.

"I feel really bad for her," he replied.

"Me, too. Are you going to take them?"

"Yeah."

"Out here." Nicole tried to coax Addie out to the car Maria had bought them. "Come on."

Troy sighed. "We're going to go. Come on, girls. Addie, bring your pancakes." He grinned sarcastically at Gabriella. "Yay."

They went out to the curb and climbed into the red car. "Ready?"

"Yup," Nicole answered for both of them.

They drove the short drive to the school. Troy dropped Nicole off in her fifth grade classroom and then went to Ms. Lowe's kindergarten class.



There were lots of other five year olds in there, crying and clinging to their parents' legs. Troy led Addie through the crowd and found Ms. Lowe by her name tag. She grinned down at Addie. "Hi, honey. What's your name?"

"Addie," she said shyly.

"Let me see here." Ms. Lowe looked at a clipboard. "Adelena Bolton?"

"Uh-huh."

"Good." She looked at Troy for the first time and looked shocked. "Are you her father?"

At that, Addie buried her head in Troy's t-shirt. He sighed and looked at the disproving gaze of the teacher. "No. I'm her brother."

"Oh. Could you parents not make it today?"

Addie began to wail. Troy picked her up and tried to speak so she wouldn't hear. "Actually, our parents died. A couple months ago. Addie's been really emotional this morning."

"Oh, I'm very sorry. You can try to calm her down." Ms. Lowe walked off.

Troy waited until the sobbing had died down before putting Addie on the floor. "Listen, ok? Listen to me." He knelt before her for the second time that day, and rubbed at her tears. "I can't bring Daddy back and I can't pretend to _be_ Daddy. But I can be Troy. I can be your brother. I can kiss you and say that I'll always, always, _always_ be here."

Addie shook her head. "Daddy said that, too. But he left us."

"But I won't."

"It isn't up to you."

"Yes, it is. Because Daddy, see… Daddy had back-up. He knew that if anything happened to him, me and Mommy would take care of you. But now, I am all you have. Well, Gabi, too, but that's not the point. The point is, since I'm all you've got, I'm making up my mind right now. I will not leave you. Ok?"

"Uh-huh."

Troy kissed her head and stood up. "Have a good day. I'll come back for you once school's over."

Before he could get out the door, though, there was a tug on his hand. He looked at Addie and her wide, innocent eyes.

"You'll never, ever leave?" she whispered.

"No," he said. "Never."

**I know not a lot happened in this chapter, but next chapter should be a little bit more eventful. Review!!**


	15. Chapter 15

Troy wove through smiling parents, searching for Addie. She was standing in a corner, looking around frantically. When she saw Troy waving, she grinned and ran over.

"Hey," he said. "How was it?"

"Good. I missed you, though. And Nicole and Gabi."

"Aw, well, we missed you too. Come on, Nikki's waiting outside with the baby."

"Uh… Addie!" Ms. Lowe came running over. "I'd like to speak with your brother for a moment."

"Go find Nicole," Troy told her. After she'd left, he turned back to the teacher. "Yeah?"

"Troy, right?"

"Yes."

"Well. I was just wondering… how _old _are you?"

"Eighteen."

"Can you provide Addie with a stable home? Are you capable of that?"

"Of course I am."  
"And did I hear that you're taking care of _more _of them?" Ms. Lowe's eyes dug into Troy. He had to look down.

"Yes. We have two other sisters."

"I'm not sure how I feel about this. Kindergarteners need a certain kind of nurturing. Living with a college student who can hardly put food on the table-"

He shook his head angrily. "We're fine. All three of them are fine. Me and my girlfriend, we're putting the girls first. Everything is under control."

Ms. Lowe remained skeptical. "A foster home would be so much more practical."

Just the thought made Troy reach for Addie, to feel that she was still with him, but then he remembered she was no longer there. His mind raced, remembering what he'd promised his other. To Ms. Lowe, he shook his head. "No. I- I can't do that. I told my mother I'd take care of them." Troy gulped. "I have to go. Bye."

Before the teacher could say anything, he had bolted out the door, gathered up all his sisters, and ushered them out to the car.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

"I'm scared, Brie. This woman means business. She's not so compassionate old lady- she isn't that much older than us." Troy was pacing through the kitchen, wringing his hands.



"Troy, calm down. They can't take them away from you. You're the closest grown relative." Gabriella wiped her hands on a dish towel and walked to the refridgerator. "It's ok."

Hattie started crying. Sighing, Troy went to the doorway and watched her, wailing from the playpen. When she saw her brother, she banged on the sides and yelled louder.

Crossing the room, Troy picked up the baby and held her close, rocking her and whispering, "You won't leave, will you? I won't let them take you away. I told your mommy and your daddy that I'd take care of you and Addie and Nicole."

Leaning closer, he said, "Hey, your birthday's coming up, right? We'll try to pull some money together for you. Don't worry. You'll get something."

He sighed, thinking about the money situation. "I hope."

**It wasn't much, but probably after the next chapter will be the beginning of the end, which I have replayed so many times already in my head. One more time won't hurt. Review, review, review!!**


	16. Chapter 16

**This is going to be a short one, because I took out a big chunk of it which I decided was irrelevant to the story—but it's an important chapter, as it is the beginning of the end of the story. There'll be two, three, maybe four chapters after this one.**

Christmas in Boston.

Wow.

It was a wonderful sight, and one like no other. Lights lit up the streets. People bustled in and out of shops, carrying sacks of presents. Starting the day after Thanksgiving, the Christmas spirit lingered everywhere.

December 1st, a check arrived in the mail from Maria. It was for a thousand dollars.

Troy and Gabriella promptly put her on speaker and asked what on earth it was for.

"Isn't it time to start buying presents? You need to buy things from Santa for the girls," Maria told them.

Troy bit his lip. He hated to take this money, but he also hated to see his sisters go without presents from Santa. "You're sure?"

"Yes. I forbid you to send it back."

And that settled it.

A couple days later, the five of them made their way out to the mall. Gabriella took the girls to one place to buy something for Troy, and Troy went somewhere else to get the Santa gifts.

When they went back to the car, hours later, Troy had already cleverly hidden his presents in the trunk. After making sure nobody had to use the bathroom, they began the car ride home- two hours long.

Everyone was in a good mood, singing along with the radio, until it started beeping. Troy quickly hushed them and turned the radio up when someone started talking.

"Boston and all surrounding areas are under a severe snowstorm warning. I repeat…"

"How far are we from a gas station or someplace?" Troy whispered to Gabriella.

"We just passed a sign. It's about 50 miles away."



Troy sighed and concentrated on the road. Indeed, snow was coming down heavy. In the back, Nicole and Addie were playing some sort of hand-clapping game, oblivious. Hattie was cooing and shouting little words at random.

Suddenly, the car hit a patch of ice. Troy gripped the wheel, struggling to keep the car on the road.

"If you're having trouble with the storm, call 1-800-SNOW…"

"Nikki." Troy tossed his cell phone into the back seat. "Call."

By now, they were slipping and sliding, and Troy couldn't see a thing through the windshield.

"Damn it!" shouted Nicole.

"Nicole said a bad word!" Addie chimed in.

"No service, Troy," Nicole went on.

"Crap."

And then, he lost complete control of the wheel. They slid and swerved, and then struck something.


	17. Chapter 17

**Sorry for taking so long!! I know this chapter has been awaited! Here it is!**

The air bag inflated in front of Gabriella. Troy brought the car to a stop and hopped out, opening the door to the back seat. He lifted Nicole out, checked her over, and did the same with Hattie. But when he turned to collect Addie, the sight slowed him.

"Oh, no," whispered Troy. With his girlfriend and sisters standing in the falling snow, waiting, he crawled to the other side of the back. "Addie?"

She gave no answer.

"Addie, come on," Troy muttered, shaking her shoulder a bit. When, again, she did nothing, he undid her seat belt and picked her up.

"Troy, put her down," came Gabriella's sharp voice. "Moving her might hurt her more."

Troy did that, laying her across the back seat. "Someone try calling 911 again. Hurry!"

However, there was already a police car coming to them. No lights were on- it must have just been out on the highway.

"What's going on here?" called a cop, jumping out.

"We hit something!" Troy cried tearfully. "We just hit something, and my sister's unconscious!"

Both cops rushed over. One peered in at Addie while the other got on his radio. "We've got an accident on the southbound highway…"

As Gabriella was answering questions, Troy strayed away, wiping tears away from his cheeks. "I'm sorry, Mom," he cried. "I told you I'd take care of them, and I let you down. I'm so sorry, I'm a terrible son…"

Someone tugged on his hand, and he looked down. Nicole stood there, a frightened look in her eyes. "They got through to the hospital. The ambulance will be here in just a few minutes. Come back over here."

Not having the heart to protest, Troy followed her over to where the cops were conversing by their car, Gabriella was crying, and Hattie was pulling her hair. Troy took the baby and wrapped his arm around Gabriella. "Shh, Gabi, shh." He kissed her hair. "It's ok."

The siren sounded in the distance, and the family huddled together for warmth, for comfort- and for strength.

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

"Where's Troy?" asked Nicole.

"I don't know," sighed Gabriella. They'd been in the hospital's waiting room for two hours. Troy had wandered off twenty minutes earlier and hadn't come back since.



From where she was crawling in the floor, Hattie suddenly paused and yelled, "Addie!"

"Addie's going to be ok," Nicole told her.

"Twoy!"

"Troy's not here."

"Adelena Bolton?"

Gabriella and Nicole jumped up. The doctor smiled softly and walked over to them. "Adelena is going to be here for at least a week. She still hasn't woken up, but you can see her if you'd like."

He hadn't given them much information, but Gabriella didn't want to know what was wrong, so she didn't ask. She remained quiet as the doctor led them to Addie's room, and then left, saying, "I'll let Mr. Bolton know if I see him."

"Thank you," Gabriella said, following Nicole and Hattie into the room. They gasped at the sight before them. On the bed lay Addie, in a hospital gown, looking flushed and frail. Countless wires were hooked up to her, and a heart monitor was beeping.

What had they done?

**This one was short, but next chapter shall be eventful- trust me!**


	18. Chapter 18

Last chapter

**Last chapter!! I think I can, I think I can, I think I can…**

Two days later, Troy walked across the hospital parking lot, keys around his index finger, sighing. He had to go pick Nicole up early from school. His mind was a mob of pink goo, trying to figure out how to tell her.

With no expression on his face, Troy got in the rental car and put the key in the ignition. His hands were frozen on the wheel, his gaze fixed straight ahead. He turned right, turned left, for fifteen minutes before arriving at the elementary school.

The receptionist send him to the gym, where Nicole and her class were having gym. Troy thanked her and walked down there. Kids were running around in printed uniforms, attempting to play a game of basketball. Nicole was in the midst of them, but her uniform wasn't printed. It consisted of an old white shirt and pair of shorts that used to belong to Gabriella. Both drooped off her small frame.

"Hey!"

Troy turned to see the coach making his way over. Rubbing the back of his neck, he said, "I need Nicole Bolton ready to go."

"Nicole!" shouted the coach. She looked up and grinned when she saw Troy. The coach went on, "Get dressed and get your things! Don't take too long!"

"Yes, sir!" Nicole went to the locker room, and a couple minutes later, she emerged in actual clothes with her backpack slung over her shoulder. "Troy, you came back!" She threw her arms around him in a huge hug.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that," he whispered, returning the embrace. "I just needed to get away for a while."

"Where did you go?" They were walking down the hallway, toward the front doors.

"I went to the apartment. I didn't want anybody to find me, you know… but that's all over, ok? Come on."

They went to the car in silence. Nicole climbed into the back seat. Troy started to get into the driver's side, but instead, opened the other door and crawled in beside her. She looked at him curiously. "What are you doing?"

"I need to talk to you, ok?" he said, facing her.

She nodded uneasily. "Is it… bad?"

"Well… not… er… yes. Listen, Nicole. Addie… Addie…" Troy tried not to look at the tears brimming in Nicole's eyes, but it was hard. "Addie's… Addie's going to die."

Nicole launched herself at Troy, and he caught her. For a good five minutes, she cried into his shoulder and he into her hair, grieving their precious little sister. Finally, Troy kissed her forehead and pulled away. "It'll be ok."

"No, it won't," whispered his sister.

He didn't say it out loud, but his next thought was, _You're right._

**HSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSMHSM**

At the hospital, Gabriella was hovering nervously outside Addie's room with Hattie in her arms. When Troy and Nicole came up, Troy asked, "How is she?" 

Gabriella shook her head. "Not good."

"Can't we go see her?" Nicole begged Troy. "Please, we need to, if she really… if…"

"Yeah, we can. Come on." He led the way into the room. "Addie?"

"H- hi, Troy," she called back weakly.

"How are you?" He sunk into a chair.

Troy leaned over the hospital bed. Brushing his fingers against his sister's cheek, he whispered, "I love you, Addie."

"I love you, too, Troy." Addie shut her eyes, and a wave of calm seemed to wash over her, just at the time the heart monitor started going out of control. "Troy, there's a light. I'm running to the light."

"What light? Addie, there's no light. And you're laying down."

"I know I'm laying down… but… in my mind… I'm running. To the light. I'm free." She laughed weakly. "Troy, I'm free."

Slowly, Troy realized what he was hearing and exchanged a shocked look with Gabriella, then turned back to Addie. "Run, Addie. Run as fast as you can. When you get to the light, you'll see Mommy and Daddy. And Grandma. You probably don't remember her, but now, you'll finally get to know her."

"Are you guys coming with me to the light? To see Mommy and Daddy?"

"Later, Addie," whispered Troy, tears in his eyes as he kissed her cheek. "Not now. But someday, we will come with you."

By now, Nicole had realized what was going on. From where she was clinging to Troy, she choked through her sobs, "I love you, Addie."

"I love you, too, Nikki." She closed her eyes. "I'm nearly there. I'm almost to the light."

"We all love you. Even Hattie," Troy told her. He kissed her three more times on the forehead. His tears were coming fast now; he knew that his beloved little sister was about to go to a better place.

Then, everything happened at once. The heart monitor fell into a normal, steady rhythm; Hattie started shrieking; Addie's eyes sprang open. After that, everyone stared at each other in silent confusion.

"What just happened?" Troy whispered to Gabriella. With tears in her eyes, Gabriella hugged him from behind.

"We've just received a miracle from God, Troy."

He let the words sink in for a minute before turning around to kiss Gabriella; then he kissed each of his sisters, letting his lips linger on Addie's cheek. Then he stood back up and looked at the four people around him: his family. The wonderful family God had blessed him with. The wonderful family God would give him the ability to raise.

Troy glanced skyward.

**Alright, I originally intended for there to be a couple more chapters on this, but I like the way it ended. Do you? Please review! THANK YOU to all the people who have been reviewing and reading! It means a lot to me! ) And I'm sorry about the overly long waits that you sometimes had to go through between chapters! **

**To anybody who likes Narnia- I will be writing a Narnia story sort of like this soon. I am going to include an announcement with my next Narnia one-shot to the people who read those, and sometime afterward, I will launch it. I'm going to try not to be so bad on updating as I was on this, because it will probably be at least as long as Disturbed Dreams, if not longer. Thanks! )**


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